


Everlasting

by survivedfromheaven



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alpha Park Chanyeol, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe - Royalty, Angst with a Happy Ending, Dubious Consent, Explicit Language, Heavy Angst, M/M, Mpreg, Omega Byun Baekhyun, Pack Dynamics, Romance, Sexual Content, Verbal Abuse, chanyeol is mean, he doesnt deserve baekhyun
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-05
Updated: 2019-01-05
Packaged: 2019-10-04 16:36:05
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,939
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17308058
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/survivedfromheaven/pseuds/survivedfromheaven
Summary: Baekhyun was the only omega in his pack. He was raised by his father, taught to learn the nurturing ways of an omega. His pack lived deep in the forest, prosperous and peaceful. He was content. That is, until his father tells him that as the only omega in their pack, he must be offered to the King - an alpha who does not show mercy or love.





	Everlasting

**Author's Note:**

> i put a hold on this fic a long time ago but i've decided to finally finish it! with college and everything, i kind of stopped keeping up with exo and kpop, so of course my love for chanbaek stopped, but now i've finally returned! how could i have ever stopped loving chanbaek honestly
> 
> anyway, here it is! hope you guys enjoy!

Baekhyun had been the only omega in his entire pack. Of all the thirty wolves in his pack, he had been the sole omega. The rest of the pack were all either alphas or betas, but even so, he had been raised with care and love from his family and friends. Many packs had often abused their omegas, whether it was for sexual desire or because omegas were naturally weaker, but he had never experienced that kind of treatment. He was grateful for the life he had been gifted with.  
  
His father, the only family he had after his mother and brother passed away many years ago, stayed by his side. Baekhyun loved his father dearly. The elder man always taught him the ways of the wild, explaining to him all the different kinds of fauna in their forest and teaching him how to basket-weave. Since there were no other omegas to teach him, his father had taken it upon himself to teach his only son on the ways of an omega – to educate him on the role he played in the pack. His father had only learned from the best – his beloved mate.  
  
Baekhyun was diligent in learning. He was the one who gathered berries and vegetation for the pack. He had always been accompanied by an alpha or two, to ensure his safety and to help him whenever he became tired. In addition, Baekhyun had learned to craft sheaths for knives and weapons. He took care of the young children as well, teaching them how to bathe themselves and educating them on their language. His tasks were simple, but his role was much bigger than what it seemed.  
  
He was appreciated in the pack. They gave thanks to him, telling him that their pack would surely be less without him. Baekhyun always became flustered, telling them that it was simply his duty to do these things. Of course, he had also been courted by many.  
  
There were many young alpha men, some the same age as him while others a few years older or younger, who showed their interest in him. Since he was the sole omega, many of the alphas and betas mated each other, but even then, many of them confessed they would have been happier with an omega. Alphas clash with each other constantly, even despite being mated, because neither of them could submit to one another. It was always in fate’s history that omegas and alphas were made to be together – yet, their pack had none, and so they had to resort to mating one another despite the tension.  
  
Baekhyun, though, was a beautiful omega. His skin gleamed in the sunshine, vibrant sun-kissed color with a natural sheen that almost glittered like diamonds. His eyes were of equal beauty - a hazel color that was rare in their pack of brown-eyed wolves. His hair was a soft red, emanating the deep shade of carnations that Baekhyun loved. Yet, the feature that made him so different from the rest was his build. Baekhyun had delicate hands, slender and frail. His body was small and lithe, a stark contrast to the tall, burly alphas and betas of his pack.  
  
That only made his packmates want to protect him even more. They were quite overbearing of him, constantly watching his movements and following him if he ever strayed too far. They wished to preserve his innocence, but they did not hide their desire for him. Baekhyun was always greeted by the alpha men and always flushed when they gifted him with flowers of the nearby field or when they offered him the richest pieces of meat during their pack meals. They cared for him as he cared for them.  
  
There was one alpha, though, that Baekhyun had a particularly strong attraction to.  
  
His name was Yifan. The alpha was tall in stature with broad shoulders. The alpha’s attitude was blunt and straightforward, but the alpha had a childlike playfulness as well. He was endearing to Baekhyun and so wonderful to him. Yifan treated him nicely, just like the other alphas, but there was something about his actions that made Baekhyun swoon in adoration and embarrassment.  
  
They conversed quite often. During the pack meals, Yifan would always sit beside him, offering him the best share of meat. They talked lightly about many things. Their conversations always dwindled into the night when the stars came out and the only light that illuminated them was the moon and the small bonfire in the center of their pack.  
  
Baekhyun couldn’t help but smile when he was around the man. Yifan always made him laugh with his words. He wouldn’t deny that he would often scoot closer to the male, feeling nothing but comfort and happiness when the man wrapped an arm around his waist. Baekhyun would then lean his head against the taller, nuzzling into the man and feeling content as he fell asleep with the man’s scent sticking to him.  
  
On days when Baekhyun would head to the crops, his heart always fluttered when Yifan announced that he would tag along to help him. They’d get easily distracted by each other, Baekhyun blushing faintly as he fed the alpha berries from his basket and Yifan gazing intently at him as he talked about meaningless things. Their adventures to and from the fields kept a smile on Baekhyun’s lips well throughout the day. They never realized how late they would return to the pack, and they were much too preoccupied with one another to notice the sharpened stares of the other alphas.  
  
They had fondly referred to one other as just a dear friend to others, although the fidgeting and faint embarrassment told differently.

That had changed when they went to the fields together on a warm spring day – the sun had just reached its peak and the air had shifted into a fresh breeze. They had been busy plucking ripened strawberries from their stems, making conversation all the while. After Yifan had dumped all of the strawberries in his arms into the basket Baekhyun carried, both of them sat down at the edge of the field, gazing at the forest ahead of them in silence.  
  
It was comfortable. Baekhyun stared intently ahead of him, not aware of the alpha’s eyes watching him.  
  
“You’re beautiful,” Yifan muttered suddenly. Despite how quietly he had whispered it, the words sounded clear in their silence.  
  
Baekhyun’s eyes widened and he turned to look at the man beside him. He noticed the faint color on Yifan’s cheeks, and he felt a heavy blush begin to settle on his own. “What?”  
  
“You’re beautiful, Baekhyun. Everything about you is beautiful.” Yifan says, gaining confidence with every word. “The way your lips look when you smile; the way your voice sounds when you laugh; the way your skin shines so brightly underneath the sun. You’re the most gorgeous omega I’ve ever met.”  
  
Baekhyun felt his face erupt into a heavy blush – heat spreading from his neck to his cheeks. He blinked several times as he processed the words that just came from Yifan’s mouth. It took him quite some time before he could whisper a response. “But- But I’m the only omega you know.” His eyes fell to the ground beneath them.  
  
“I know.” Yifan laughed a bit, eyes never leaving the omega’s form. “But even so, no one could ever compare to you.” The alpha leaned in closer, hoping to gain Baekhyun’s attention.  
  
Baekhyun didn’t say anything in return but raised his gaze to meet Yifan’s. Subconsciously, he leaned in as well, finding it hard to push against the gravitation he felt towards the alpha.  
  
Their lips had met in a soft haze. The sun was setting along the horizon and the orange hues cast over them. Everything about it felt right to Baekhyun – from the way Yifan’s lips felt against his to the way the breeze blew so faintly. Baekhyun had never felt like this before. His heart was beating so fast he was afraid Yifan would hear it. It felt good, though. And as they parted ever so slowly, Baekhyun’s lips curled into a beautiful smile.  
  
Ever since then they’d run off together to the fields and kiss each other to their hearts’ delight. They were still young, and if Yifan’s hands ever ventured, Baekhyun would flush in embarrassment before the alpha apologized profusely.  
  
It was when he turned seventeen years of age when Yifan brought him out to the forest, holding his hand tightly. They made their way through the hills and valleys of the forest, and Baekhyun had found himself in a location he’d never been before. He was in awe. The grass and the leaves were so vibrantly green, and he could see a waterfall releasing into a calm river that harbored all kinds of fish and fauna.  
  
He gasped in shock at the beauty, and he then turned to Yifan. The man smiled back at him, promptly leading him closer to the waterfall. The pleasant sounds of nature delighted the omega so much and he instantly fell in love with that hidden area of the forest – somewhere no one else knew of but them.  
  
They spent time in silence, simply admiring the scenery. Baekhyun was not expecting it when Yifan suddenly asked him a question that would make him bloom with happiness and make his hands clam up in nervousness.  
  
“Would you like to be my mate?”  
  
Baekhyun had stared at Yifan, not believing that the man had just asked him that. But his doubts were confirmed when Yifan turned him so that they faced each other, wrapped his arms snug around his waist, and then pulled him so abruptly and so tightly to his body that it left the omega breathless. Baekhyun let a soft gasp escape his lips, and his hands had somehow made their way to the man’s biceps.  
  
The omega’s mouth opens a few times, but no sound comes out. Yifan stays quiet, waiting patiently for an answer. It takes a few moments before the omega can form a coherent response.  
  
“Yifan…” Baekhyun calls out quietly, crystalline eyes meeting fierce ones. It’s all he can say, shock still apparent in the way Baekhyun’s eyebrows knit together.  
  
“I love you. I want you.” Yifan brings a hand up to gently stroke a rosy cheek, and Baekhyun nuzzles into the hand, a warm comfort washing over him as he does so. “I want you to be my omega, Baekhyun.” There’s a hint of desperation in his voice, but the words still soothe Baekhyun.  
  
It takes another moment before Baekhyun answers, but when he does, he erupts into a smile.  
  
“I want to be yours, too.” Baekhyun murmurs sweetly, cheeks round with happiness.  
  
Yifan lets out a breath of relief.  
  
That’s the day Baekhyun experiences his first sexual desire. Yifan’s lips meld so wonderfully against his, and their intensity leaves Baekhyun breathless. Baekhyun closes his eyes as their tongues push against one another, and he subconsciously grips the alpha’s arm in pleasure at the sensation. He lets the man’s hands wander his body, letting them travel underneath his robes and grope at his thighs. Baekhyun melts into Yifan’s grasp, and he throws his head back when the alpha begins sucking on his neck.  
  
The moment is filled with heat, and Baekhyun can’t find it in himself to stop Yifan. Before he can process anything that’s happening, Baekhyun finds himself on the ground, Yifan on top of him and calloused hands passionately mapping his body. Baekhyun holds the alpha’s face in his hands, bringing the alpha up to engage in another kiss. He breathes heavily as his legs are parted, Yifan’s body accommodating itself between them.  
  
“Y-Yifan.“ He croaks out, eyes glazing over in a sort of frenzy at the hands groping his body. Baekhyun is filled with immense pleasure, and he doesn’t want to stop. His face has broken out into a warm sweat as Yifan’s mouth attaches itself to his jaw, trailing kisses down and nipping at his prominent collarbones with his teeth. There’s an indescribable heat growing inside him.  
  
“Baekhyun.” Yifan whispers into his ear, lips finally detaching themselves from his neck. “Baekhyun, I need you.”  
  
He emphasizes his words by grinding down upon the weak omega, exhaling heavily as a thick tension rises between them – a sexual, lustful atmosphere cascading over them. The beating in the alpha’s chest hastens when his action emits soft cries from the omega. His watchful eyes crave the way Baekhyun arches into the friction, eyes closing as he lets out small mewls.  
  
The alpha wants so desperately to take the omega. Yifan’s wolf is right there in his mind, growling and yapping as every second passes that he isn’t inside of Baekhyun. But he subdues those urges, and he grinds down once more, dragging his hips along Baekhyun’s painstakingly slow. His body twitches with every cry Baekhyun emits.  
  
“I need you so badly,” Yifan confesses once more. His voice is low and deep, and he knows that it’s on the borderline of becoming a snarl. “I’ve wanted to mate you since I first met you, Baekhyun.” He feels his breath quicken as the omega’s rosy lips open in a desperate cry, and Yifan’s fingers curl into the ground in want as the robes on the omega’s body slip off those glimmering shoulders. “Back when we were only pups,” he exhales, “my wolf wanted you. Even now, my wolf still wants you.”  
  
“I-“ Baekhyun tries to speak, but he chokes on his words.  
  
Yifan stops the friction between them, no longer grinding their hips together in slow motions. He can see the omega visibly relax, and even though he knows he shouldn’t have assaulted the omega so suddenly with his sexual desire, Yifan doesn’t feel guilty. His wolf will continue to feel that love and that gravitation towards Baekhyun, even now when the omega seems apprehensive.  
  
“I-I want you too, Yifan.” Baekhyun manages through quick breaths. “I always have.” He brings a shaky hand to caress the alpha’s face, holding it lovingly within his grasp, delicate fingers tracing over the alpha’s details. Baekhyun stares into Yifan’s eyes, hoping that the alpha can see the adoration Baehyun has for him. He then looks down. “But, even so, I-I want to take this slow. I do want to mate with you, but this was,” he pauses, blushing faintly and stuttering over his tongue, “v-very sudden.”  
  
Yifan chuckles softly, lowering his head to nuzzle Baekhyun’s forehead with his own. The action soothes both of them, and whatever arousal had lingered finally disappeared, allowing for the omega to fully relax.  
  
“I’m sorry about that.” Yifan rests his forehead against Baekhyun’s. “I know it was sudden. My instincts just came over me.”  
  
Baekhyun smiled, wrapping his arms around Yifan’s neck and pulling him into a swift kiss. “I want this just as much as you do, but I’d like to wait before we…” He trailed off, too embarrassed to say the word.  
  
“It’s okay, Baekhyun. We’ll wait.” Yifan says, nuzzling into his omega’s neck. The alpha was pleased to be able to call Baekhyun his now. Although they hadn’t mated just yet, and even though Baekhyun doesn’t have the bite mark to prove it, they belonged to each other all the same. “Until you turn of age, okay?”  
  
Baekhyun nods. “W-When I have my first heat…” He’s already flustered at the thought of his first heat, but he knows Yifan will take care of him.  
  
They spend the rest of the day in the forest, cuddling one another. Baekhyun can’t help but feel loved when Yifan wraps an arm around his shoulders, letting him rest on his chest as they lay down in the grass. He trails his fingers over the alpha’s clothed chest, and he almost dozes off when a hand begins to run through his hair, massaging his scalp.  
  
They were happy just like that. They were perfect just like that.  
  
When they return that night, after a reluctant parting, Baekhyun runs to his cabin. He finds his father seated on the fur rugs littering the main room. Baekhyun hears the shaving of wood and smiles softly when he realizes his father is probably carving another statuette. There’s a shelf or two in their cabin that holds all of the statuettes his father has carved in his lifetime – it’s his favorite hobby when he isn’t busy dealing with pack matters or ensuring Baekhyun is staying on task with whatever he’s doing.  
  
“Father?” Baekhyun calls out to the man, walking to the rug and sitting on it comfortably. He leans his head onto his father’s shoulder, looking at all of the details etched onto the wooden bear.  
  
It’s silent for a few seconds before the older man replies. As Baekhyun glances up briefly, he notices the serene look on his father’s face. Baekhyun is glad to know that his father is content.  
  
“Yes, my child?” He asks. His father’s voice is a little gruff but still soothing.  
  
“I-I think I’ve found my mate,” Baekhyun confesses, biting his bottom lip in nervousness. He hopes his father will be happy, that his father will give them his blessing. He hopes his father won’t feel lonely when he and Yifan finally live together as mates should. “I think I love him.”  
  
Baekhyun doesn’t get a reply. He plays with his fingers for a little bit, looking down at his lap. His eyebrows knit together in worry.  
  
_Does his father not approve? Will he not bless them? Has he done something wrong?_  
  
The omega begins wracking his brain for anything he might have forgotten. He has never treated anyone with disrespect, especially not his father. He has done all of his tasks and chores and even started on the ones he had to do tomorrow.  
  
“Are you upset? Please do-“ He starts, but he’s promptly cut off by the deep chuckle leaving his father’s lips.  
  
He lifts his head from his father’s shoulder and stares at him with wide eyes.  
  
His father is laughing, eyes crinkling at the edges to show how well he’s aged. His teeth are pearly white. There are creases running along his chin and cheeks. Faint stubble is growing along his jaw.  
  
“Now, my child, tell me why I would be upset?” He asks, a wide smile adorning his face. His eyes are gleaming with what appears to be pleasure, but Baekhyun can see a hint of mischievousness.  
  
“Well, you didn’t answer…” Baekhyun replies, hands clutched at his chest. “Are you not upset that I’ve found my mate?”  
  
“Of course not.” His father concludes.  
  
Baekhyun feels relief wash over him and he releases a breath he didn’t realize he was holding in.  
  
“Why would I be upset that my one and only son has finally found someone who completes him? I am not upset. I am relieved.”  
  
“Relieved?”  
  
“Yes. My precious child,” his father places a hand on Baekhyun’s head, patting it with the care and love of an aging parent, “has fallen in love.” He retracts his hand, placing it on his lap. “I can rest easy knowing that when I finally pass on to the next world, my son will have someone to take care of him.”  
  
Baekhyun cries. He hugs his father tightly, sobbing into the shoulder of his wonderful father.  
  
He feels so blessed to have had such a caring father who raised him with nothing but love and respect. His father never mistreated him because of his omega nature. His father nurtured him and taught him everything. When Baekhyun’s mother and brother died all those years ago, his father remained strong for both of them.  
  
“Thank you.” Baekhyun sobs, but his tears are made from happiness.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
The next year is spent in bliss.  
  
The pack teases at Baekhyun and Yifan, telling them that they look as though they’re in their honeymoon stage. Yifan’s friends never fail to embarrass the alpha in front of Baekhyun with stories of how reckless Yifan was as a child. Baekhyun finds it endearing and he can’t help but giggle at the stories.  
  
Yifan accompanies Baekhyun everywhere. From the crack of dawn to the setting of the sun, the alpha remains by his mate’s side. They are still not truly mates, as Yifan has not made his mark on Baekhyun, but it’s almost as though the deed had already been done. They whisper sweet words to each other all throughout the day, and Yifan – if possible – was even more protective of Baekhyun.  
  
Baekhyun had once been bitten by a rabbit, his finger bleeding and eyes glassy with tears. Yifan had stressed so much that Baekhyun forgot all about his finger and instead laughed at the overly concerned alpha. The poor alpha had broken into a sweat, grasping at Baekhyun’s hand and storming off to the pack to find the healer. To Yifan’s dismay, Baekhyun had been laughing the whole time.  
  
_“It’s only a rabbit bite!” Baekhyun exclaimed, wiping the tears from his eyes. His cheeks ached in soreness from laughing so much.  
  
“Exactly! It could be rabid for all we know.” Yifan replied back, eyebrows furrowed with worry._  
  
Yifan, since that day, had ensured Baekhyun never got too close to wild animals.  
  
The two were inseparable.  
  
Kisses were constantly exchanged between them. From sweet pecks on the cheek to wetter, more tongue-filled kisses that left Baekhyun weak and a blushing mess. They had ultimately decided to wait for Baekhyun’s first heat before having sex. Baekhyun was still too scared to do anything beyond kissing. He had also, with a strong red blossoming on his cheeks, admitted that if they waited for his first heat, the likelihood of him becoming pregnant was increasingly higher.  
  
_Baekhyun sat in between Yifan’s legs, his back resting against the alpha’s chest. He fiddled with the alpha’s fingers that were currently wrapped around his waist.  
  
They sat in silence, listening to the sound of the waterfall echoing in the forest.  
  
“You know, Yifan,” he starts, hesitating a bit, “if we wait until my heat starts, I’ll be…”  
  
“Hm?” Yifan inquires, resting his chin on the omega’s shoulder.  
  
“I’ll be m-more fertile,” Baekhyun whispers quickly, his breath hitching in embarrassment at the words he just said. He looks to the side, avoiding Yifan’s gaze. His cheeks are already warming up.  
  
“What was that?” Yifan asked, the sound of the waterfall drowning out the omega’s words.  
  
“You know what I said!” Baekhyun turned to glare at his alpha, eyebrows knit together in what seems to be anger and embarrassment.  
  
Yifan chuckles as he wraps his arms tighter around his omega’s waist. His ears perk up at the soft whimper coming from Baekhyun. He nuzzles Baekhyun’s neck. “You’ll be more fertile, huh?”  
  
Baekhyun nods.  
  
“You want to bear my pups?” Yifan’s voice dropped just a hint.  
  
Baekhyun nods bashfully once more.  
  
“You want me to impregnate you?” Yifan emphasizes his question by bringing a hand to Baekhyun’s stomach, rubbing it in slow circles.  
  
The omega blushes. “D-Don’t ask it like that.”  
  
“Why not?”  
  
“It’s just… It’s…” Baekhyun struggles to find the right word. He frowns in dismay when he can’t.  
  
“Well,” Yifan says, using a hand to turn Baekhyun’s face towards his. “I guess we’ll just have to be patient.”  
  
They kiss softly and spend the rest of their day in that spot, cuddling with one another underneath the watchful sky._  
  
Baekhyun had never been so happy in his life. He spent every day thinking about his future with the man he loved. He pictured what it would be like to have Yifan sing to his stomach. He’d imagined what it’d be like to raise their pups together. He imagined how happy his father would be to play with his grandchildren.  
  
But everything is ruined when just a month before he turns of age, his father tells him that he must be offered as a mate to the ruthless man who rules over all the packs in the land – the King.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
“Father, no!” Baekhyun screams. He has tears running down his cheeks, face red from anger. “I will not go! I won’t be offered as a piece of meat to this- this barbaric man!” He shouts, but his throat stings from the pain. His chest is moving erratically and his heart is sinking ever so slowly. Whatever dreams he had for a happy future with Yifan and their pups is gone.  
  
“Son-“ His father attempts to speak.  
  
“No!” Baekhyun sobs. “Why? Why is this happening?! Why does it have to be me?!” He doesn’t bother wiping his face from the endless stream of tears. “Why are you letting this happen?!”  
  
“Please listen to me.” His father speaks once more, but Baekhyun is crying far too much to even say another word.  
  
“Why?” Baekhyun whispers pathetically. He falls to the ground, hands clutching hopelessly at the floor.  
  
“No one knows of this yet. Only us and the Head Alpha know.” His father looks to the little statuettes perched on the shelf across the wall. He sighs. “I do not want this to happen.”  
  
Baekhyun looks up at his father and only then does he see the dark eye bags underneath his father’s eyes that were never there before. He cries even more.  
  
“You are my child. You are my pride, my joy, my everything. I fought with the Head Alpha for days. I tried to convince him to let you be exempt from this. He refused.”  
  
Baekhyun lets out an agonizing whine.  
  
“We cannot refuse, Baekhyun. The King is a man with no mercy. He ordered for all packs to attend the ceremony and that all packs must bring forth their omegas as offers. If we were to refuse, the King would no doubt kill us. He would drive us away from our land, send his army to burn our crops and fields, kill every last one of us in cold blood.”  
  
Baekhyun gasps for breath. He cries and cries and cannot stop. He knows that the King would do this. He’s heard stories of the man. He knows that the King would no doubt kill his father, kill their Head Alpha, kill Yifan for disobeying his direct orders. He can picture their village burning to the ground, their crops of fruit being destroyed and made to rot, and his pack being chased from their beautiful land to somewhere far away and desolate where nothing ever grows.  
  
“You must understand, Baekhyun. I am truly sorry.”  
  
That’s all his father says before leaving to his room, closing the door behind him silently.  
  
The only thing heard in their cabin is neither the sound of wood being shaved nor the sound of Baekhyun laughing with his father, but the weeping of the poor omega. He’s left to himself, all alone on the floor to accept his fate. Baekhyun wails loudly, arms clutching at his stomach as he rocks back and forth.  
  
The images of Yifan and him kissing underneath the stars burn away into ashes. The images he’s conjured of their pups disappears all the same. The future he had built himself has crashed into a heap of lost dreams.  
  
Baekhyun falls asleep on the floor just like that, with dry trails of tears running along his face.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
He awakens the next morning on his bed. His eyes are sore and he feels tears well up once more when he remembers the night that had transpired. Baekhyun does not want to get up. He doesn’t want to have to face the reality waiting for him once he steps foot outside his home. He curls up into the fur rugs on his bed, clenching it into his hands.  
  
He stays like that for hours.  
  
His father leaves him food outside the door. Baekhyun’s heart tightens when he sees a little statuette placed neatly beside every meal. He feels guilty for yelling at his father the way he did. His father didn’t deserve it.  
  
It isn’t until the third day when Baekhyun finally walks out of his room. His feet drag behind him with every step, and even breathing leaves him exhausted. A wolf’s state is influenced heavily by its emotions, and the only thing Baekhyun can feel is misery. He sees his father sitting on his usual rugs, a piece of wood in one hand and a dagger in the other.  
  
Baekhyun chokes up with tears at the sight.  
  
“I’m sorry.” Baekhyun whispers. His voice is strained from the screaming he’d done the day before. “I’m sorry for yelling at you. I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m-“ He begins to cry. He sobs and chokes on his tears. He stands there uselessly, eyes shut tightly closed.  
  
He feels arms wrap around him and he’s pulled into the embrace of his father.  
  
“I-I’m sorry!”  
  
“Hush, my child.” His father murmurs as he strokes Baekhyun’s hair. “You have nothing to apologize for. I should be the one apologizing. I could not save you from this misery. I wish I could. I wish I could keep you in my arms forever so that no one would ever hurt you. You will always be my sunshine, dear child.”  
  
Baekhyun cannot stop himself from weeping.  
  
“I have prayed day and night since you were born that you will remain safe.” He tilts Baekhyun’s head upward. “Wouldn’t you say that it’s worked so far?” He cracks a smile.  
  
Baekhyun throws his head back into his father’s chest, nodding all the while.  
  
“I will continue to pray. I will pray just as I have done every day so that you can return to me. I will pray so that you and Yifan may have a happy ending together. I can only hope that the gods will answer my prayers this time as well.” He leans down and places a kiss on his child’s head.  
  
They stand like that for quite some time. Baekhyun’s crying had been reduced to small hiccups.  
  
“Go. You must tell Yifan.” His father says.  
  
“I-I can’t. He w-won’t love me anymore.” Baekhyun’s body shakes with uncontrollable sobs that never turned into real tears. He has finally calmed down, and he doesn’t want to burden his father anymore.  
  
“Why do you think that?”  
  
“B-Because,” he whines, “I-I’m not his anymore.” Just the thought of it makes Baekhyun’s heart ache terribly. Everything hurts. His heart feels as though it’d been shattered into millions of pieces.  
  
“If he truly loves you, then he will understand. He will continue to love you. He will hold on to the hope that you will return to his arms. You must also hope as well. Wishes cannot come true if they are solely one-sided.”  
  
“Okay.” Baekhyun relents.  
  
He doesn’t want to let go of his father, but he knows he must.  
  
“You will be okay, Baekhyun. Do not despair. Keep your head up.” His father tells him, and that’s enough to make Baekhyun finally give a small smile.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Baekhyun’s expression is grim when he finds Yifan sitting on a log in the middle of the village. There were two other alphas there sitting with him, and Baekhyun recognizes them as his friends. They look up at him, their eyes widening a fraction before Baekhyun speaks up.  
  
“Yifan.” He calls out weakly.  
  
The alpha in name whips around, facial expression showing clear signs of distress and anxiety. Before anything else can happen, or before his friends can say something, Yifan stands up and quickly makes his way to Baekhyun. There’s a stomp in his step, and Baekhyun’s mind can’t figure out if it’s out of fury or panic.  
  
His breath gets caught in his throat when Yifan’s hands grasp his upper arms tightly.  
  
“Baekhyun, what happened?” He asks roughly, eyebrows knit together and a frown on his face. “Where were you? I-I haven’t seen you for three days.”  
  
“Yifan…” Baekhyun meekly whimpers. “W-We need to talk.”  
  
That sentence itself puts a grave atmosphere over them. Yifan glances behind him at his friends. They look hesitant, but leave nonetheless.  
  
“Let’s go somewhere quiet.” Yifan says, pulling at the omega’s arm towards the fields where they used to kiss every day. The thought hurts, and being in the fields where they shared so many special memories damages Baekhyun’s heart even more.  
  
They’re alone now. Their silence is filled with the chirping of birds and the slight breeze rustling through the trees.  
  
“Y-You’re hurting me…” Baekhyun says in a hushed voice, eyes looking at the ground.  
  
Yifan immediately lets go of Baekhyun’s arm. “I’m sorry.”  
  
Both of them are too afraid to say anything. It’s Yifan who decides he’s had enough of the barrier the omega has put up.  
  
“What happened, Baekhyun? You have to tell me. I was- I was panicking for three days straight!” Yifan runs a hand through his hair. “Your father didn’t go outside at all either. What happened?” His voice had started off loud, but it had reduced itself to a mutter.  
  
“My father told me something.” Baekhyun sucked in a breath, trying to remain composed. His hands were clutched to his chest, and he attempted to appear stronger than he actually felt.  
  
“What did he tell you? Was it that bad to make you disappear for three days? Why didn’t he say anything? My mate was gone!” Yifan shouted at Baekhyun, who slightly recoiled.  
  
“W-We can’t be mates anymore.” Baekhyun whimpered as he said that. He closed his eyes in pain.  
  
“What?”  
  
“We aren’t allowed to be mates, Yifan!” Baekhyun let out a piercing whine. His eyes were glazed over with welling tears. He didn’t know if he could even cry anymore at this point. He’d felt as though he’d cried so much the past three days he didn’t have any more tears.  
  
“What do you mean, Baekhyun? What are you talking about?” Yifan grabbed his arms, bringing them closer together.  
  
“I’m being offered to the- to the King as a mate! I can’t refuse! Please…” Baekhyun hiccupped. “Please don’t make this harder than it has to be.” He lowered his head to prevent from meeting the alpha’s intense stare.  
  
“What? Who allowed this? Was it the Head Alpha?!”  
  
Yifan is angry. It’s glaringly obvious. Baekhyun can feel the hands around his arms tighten and he winces in pain, but he doesn’t say anything. It’s only when the alpha lets go and storms off towards the pack that he stops him.  
  
“Yifan! Stop!” Baekhyun calls out as he chases after the alpha. He grabs Yifan’s arm to try and stop the man from going any further.  
  
“I’ll kill him, I swear! Baekhyun, let go!” Yifan yells at him. His mouth is turned up into a snarl.  
  
“No! Don’t hurt anyone, Yifan! T-This isn’t their fault... Please!” Baekhyun begs for the alpha to calm down. He pleads and pleads, continuing to beg to the enraged alpha.  
  
Everything goes silent when a hand strikes Baekhyun across the face.  
  
In a second’s time, Baekhyun finds himself on the ground, a burning wound on his cheek. He’s looking at the leaves beneath him, and he’s disoriented, eyes focusing in and out of what’s in front of him. He feels nauseous.  
  
He looks up and meet’s Yifan’s eyes. They’re both in shock.  
  
“W-Why…” He starts to ask but doesn’t finish because the next thing he knows, the alpha is embracing him tightly.  
  
“I’m sorry. I’m sorry.” Yifan repeats over and over, a strain to his voice. “Please forgive me.”  
  
Baekhyun doesn’t cry. He wants to, but he doesn’t.  
  
They sit down in the field together just like that. Yifan’s arms never loosen. Baekhyun buries his head into the chest of the alpha, finding comfort in the scent he knows so well.  
  
“I’m sorry,” Yifan whispers.  
  
It’s the only thing uttered between the both of them.  
  
“Will you please listen to me?” Baekhyun asks, but his voice wavers.  
  
“Of course.”  
  
The guilt is clear in Yifan.  
  
“I am… to be offered to the King as a mate. I cannot refuse. If we were to refuse, he would kill you. He would kill my father. He’d run us out of our forest. He’d burn our village down. I-I can’t live with that!” Baekhyun’s body wracks with a sob. “I have to go! As- As the only omega, I have to do this…”  
  
Yifan says nothing. He presses his lips to the crown of Baekhyun’s head.  
  
“But…”  
  
“But what?” Yifan asks, already feeling a spark of hope. He doesn’t want to lose Baekhyun. Especially not to a man who terrorizes others with pure fear. Baekhyun is delicate. He’s meant to be treated with care and love. But even so, Yifan had slapped the omega. He grimaces, and so he keeps his head atop Baekhyun’s.  
  
“I-I think that, maybe, I won’t get chosen.” Baekhyun murmurs. “All of the other packs have so many more omegas. If- If my beauty is anything to go by… I’m sure that those omegas will be more beautiful than I. The King won’t want me. He’ll choose them instead.”  
  
Yifan, normally, would reprimand Baekhyun for putting himself down like this. He would point out every little thing he loved about the omega. From the tips of his hair to the heel of his foot, Baekhyun was perfect. But he knew that Baekhyun did not need that right now. Neither did himself. If what Baekhyun was saying is true, then that’s the only thing they can count on.  
  
He can only hope that the King will choose someone far more beautiful than Baekhyun.  
  
So that, maybe, they can have the future they’d always wanted.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
It’s four days from then that the Head Alpha finally tells the pack of the news that was given to them all those days ago.  
  
Yifan never left Baekhyun’s side. Not now, not when they’re at risk at being torn apart forever. He attempts to make up for the injury he caused Baekhyun. The guilt had eaten him up from the inside out, and he had confessed his actions to the omega’s father. He had received a punch from the man, one that left him on the floor just as he had done to Baekhyun. He had taken every insult from the man, all the while promising that he would never injure Baekhyun again.  
  
Baekhyun, the pure soul he is, had kissed his cheek. The omega took care of him well, just as the omega would his mate.  
  
_“What if we mated right now?” Yifan asked – a solemn tone to his voice. “He couldn’t have you then.”  
  
The omega stopped rubbing the ointment on his jaw. He looked down to the bedsheets underneath them.  
  
“It’s impossible, isn’t it?” His voice is laced with bitterness and resentment. “He would still kill us. He’d still torment our pack. He’d show no mercy.”  
  
Neither of them said anything after that._  
  
They tried to be happy. They tried to forget about what was happening, but it was difficult to ignore when everyone else was also against it. But regardless, the Head Alpha forced them to pack for the journey.  
  
They spent the remaining days until their departure deciding what to leave and what to take. As ordered by the King, a minimum of four alphas would remain at the village to keep it safe from wild animals or rogue wolves. The King would ensure that all of his orders were followed, as he would send his guards on rounds to each of the villages.  
  
Baekhyun was growing more and more nervous each day that passed. His stomach churned uncomfortably. At night, he would cry because of how much his stomach hurt. His father would come running to him, sitting beside him and running a hand through his hair. The man sang to him, humming his favorite childhood songs to him as though he were a baby again.  
  
The omega would eventually fall asleep, but each night replayed itself like a recurring nightmare.  
  
Before long, it was time to leave.  
  
The pack was set. They were all ready to leave for the capital – the palace where the King lived in luxury and power.  
  
Baekhyun was silent the entire journey. He held Yifan’s hand firmly. He refused to let go. His father trailed behind him, never straying too close or too far in case Baekhyun ever needed his presence. There were times on their way to the capital when Baekhyun would have an attack – his laboring breath sporadic and uneasy. The omega would only calm down once his father was there, singing him to sleep.  
  
Yifan assisted, of course. He would carry Baekhyun when the omega was in a deep slumber. The alpha knew that the omega was struggling. He wanted this journey to be as painless as possible for the younger male. He would be there when Baekhyun woke up, and he would be there when he fell asleep.  
  
Most nights, they all set camp. The Head Alpha, Kim Junmyeon, ensured that if they obeyed the King, they would all remain unscathed, and most importantly, Baekhyun would return home with them. He gave them these talks at camp. All of them were solemn and in anxious moods. They all gazed upon their precious omega’s form with sorrow.  
  
The trek was not easy. Not for any of them. Each step forward was one step closer to the capital – a fast-paced city made for sly, cunning wolves. The capital was not the safest place to be. Of course, not every wolf there was evil. But when the King was a tyrannical bastard, it would not be a surprise if most of his followers were just like him.  
  
When the capital was visible just at the horizon, they had run into other packs.  
  
Both packs were much larger than they were, but they all had the same grim faces adorned on them. They all made for conversation, all feeling as though they were in the same boat, sailing to the same deadly ocean.  
  
Their omegas were silent, just like Baekhyun.  
  
Yifan had caught Baekhyun attempting to speak to another omega a few hours after traveling with the other packs.  
  
“What’s your name?” Baekhyun had asked, and he had attempted a smile, but he was still too weak to do so.  
  
“Kyungsoo.” The other replied.  
  
It seemed that the simple conversation brought them closer than before, and Yifan saw them walking together. He was somewhat glad that Baekhyun had finally met another omega. He only wished that they could have met under different circumstances. Yifan could imagine Baekhyun playing with the other omegas, talking to them about the little things that interested him, and gossiping about which alpha fancied him the most.  
  
The both of them remained silent after the introduction, however. But Yifan supposed that the comfort of having another omega with him was more than enough for Baekhyun.  
  
Yifan had conversed with other alphas. He was not surprised to hear that the other alphas from the other packs were in the same position as him. Just like him, they had been in love with their dear omega – only for their mate to be taken away by the King. They did not have a choice either. The King would murder them all.  
  
The rest of the journey was filled with a gloomy atmosphere.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
A day later of walking was when they finally stepped into the capital. They had been greeted by the guards of the King, emotionless faces commanding all the packs to follow them to the palace where the King awaited them. All of them were on edge, muscles tense and rigid in case anything happened.  
  
The omegas were hesitant in following, but were quickly coerced by their packs. They were fearful; their bodies trembling while their eyes remained wide open. Baekhyun had huddled closer to Kyungsoo, eyebrows knitted together and eyes stuck to the floor so he wouldn’t draw attention to himself. The other omegas seemed to do the same, but a few of them kept a watchful eye around them.  
  
Yifan had noted the layers of sweat forming on all of the Head Alphas. They appeared strong on the outside, their forms towering and solid so as to provide comfort for their pack, but if one looked carefully enough, they were all just as terrified.  
  
He hated this. He had never thought much of their King before, but now, Yifan loathed him. The alpha had never desired to ram a knife into someone’s heart more than ever.  
  
Yifan hated how this one man could force thousands of people to submit underneath him. He was the equivalent of a tyrant – threatening those who refused to listen to him. No one had a choice when it came to the orders of the King. It was either listen and obey or be imprisoned and slaughtered.  
  
His heart hammered in his chest with every step they took closer to the palace. Yifan could only glance at Baekhyun out of the corner of his eye, hoping to meet the omega’s gaze and soothe him in some way, but the omega was too distraught and opted to stare at the dirt ground below them. As his unofficial mate, Yifan would have gone immediately to Baekhyun’s side to hold him in his arms and whisper words of comfort, but the Head Alpha advised him not to.  
  
The same issue went with all of the other alphas. The King is a possessive man who refuses to share his wealth with anyone. That wealth includes his future mate and whatever concubines he might have hidden. Touching his mate would surely result in an agonizing death.  
  
Of course, the thought that the King might have concubines in addition to his mate enraged Yifan even more. If the King could not stay loyal to his mate then how could he deserve any of these omegas? Baekhyun could be chosen. He could be subjected to the wrath of this disgusting man.  
  
The King would breed Baekhyun and for what? Just so he could have an heir to the throne? Just so he could toss Baekhyun aside as another lowly omega?  
  
The thought bristled Yifan’s nerves. He couldn’t allow for Baekhyun to be chosen. Baekhyun deserves the entire world. He deserves the utmost care and love. He deserves to be held at night in the embrace of his lover, to be tended to when he was injured, to be cared for when he was with child.  
  
It should be his child inside of Baekhyun. Not the child of a pathetic excuse for a King.  
  
But he quickly shook his head of those thoughts. The more he thinks about it, the more Yifan will be on edge. He can’t overthink this. For all he knows, he might end up cursing his luck.  
  
With a heavy heart, Yifan looks forward to where they are currently headed.  
  
The ground beneath them had turned from dirt to bricks. They had just passed the slums of the city, now entering into the more luxurious areas. The contrast between the slums and the high-class area was glaringly obvious.  
  
The poor people had been dressed in rags for clothing, having barely any food in their bowls. Their homes were crumbling into dust ever so slowly and it looked as though they had no mattresses to sleep on. Their bodies were thin and their eyes held a pain only they could understand. It hurt to look at.  
  
Now that they had crossed into the wealthier populace, it was as though they were in another world completely. The people wore fine robes made of silk and cotton. Their houses were built with a sturdy foundation and painted with vibrant colors. There was a central market as well with an abundance of exotic fruits and spices.  
  
They all had smiles on their faces as though they’d never had a challenging day in their life.  
  
All of the packs with them looked just as grim as Yifan. The packs living on the outskirts of the capital and the packs further out into the forest regions refrained from entering. This was why. They didn’t belong in this kind of place. They lived as their ancestors did  – hunting, gathering, and forging weapons with their own two hands.  
  
The capital was filled with wolves who had never experienced that.  
  
Before long, their vision was engulfed by the towering presence of the King’s palace.  
  
The mere thought that the King resided in there was enough to put them all on edge.  
  
The palace itself was incredibly large. It towered over any other building they had seen. It seemed to stretch on for miles, but it was just their minds tricking them. With the situation they were in, the palace seemed much more threatening.  
  
There was somewhat of a peaceful atmosphere, considering how quiet it seemed. They had gone far enough away from the bustle of the city’s population that they could no longer hear mindless chattering. They could only hear the whistling of the wind as it faintly breezed by them.  
  
During the brief moment they had standing at the entrance of the palace, they all had observed the courtyard. It was covered in masses of the greenest grass they’d ever seen. The flowers were just as beautiful, their petals almost seemingly waving at them as the wind brushed by them. For a moment, everything seemed better than it was.  
  
But as fate works, everything peaceful must eventually come to an end.  
  
“The ceremony will be held in two days’ time. The packs will come with us to their quarters. You will rest there until the ceremony has ended.” The guards spoke, turning around to face the packs in their custody. Their eyes were sharp and cunning, observing all of them down to the sweat running along their cheeks.  
  
They immediately turned and began to walk, ordering them to follow.  
  
“Baekhyun!” Yifan called out, trying to make his way over to the omega. The omega was still curled into Kyungsoo’s side, both of them lagging behind everyone else.  
  
Baekhyun turns to look at him, but he doesn’t dare make a move.  
  
Before he could get closer to the omega, he was promptly cut off by a guard.  
  
“What…?” He backed up from the other alpha, glaring at the other with frustration.  
  
“All packs are to come with us except the omegas. They will be attended to by the King’s servants. They will also be residing in different quarters.” He announces to everyone, but his eyes only stare directly at Yifan.  
  
Yifan growls, but he’s immediately calmed by Junmyeon.  
  
He glances back at Baekhyun for a moment, and he gives the other a strained smile. It pains him to see the omega so alone, standing there by himself surrounded by people he’s never known. He wants to be there for Baekhyun, but even that is asking for too much. He only hopes that Baekhyun can handle being on his own away from the pack.  
  
The guard forces him to turn and walk away with the rest of the betas and alphas.  
  
He looks back to find the King’s servants coercing the omegas to follow them. Yifan grits his teeth. He can only hope that the next two days will go by quickly so they can all go home in peace.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
“I’m scared.” Baekhyun murmurs towards his new acquaintance. His hands are clutched at his chest, and he tries to make himself appear smaller. He can’t allow for unnecessary attention to be drawn toward him.  
  
Kyungsoo doesn’t look at him, only gazing forward to where the servants were leading them to. His eyes were steady, but Baekhyun could see the unease in the other’s expression. The omega’s hands trembled at his sides, but they were curled into fists to attempt and stop the shaking.  
  
“Don’t be,” Kyungsoo whispers back to him with a deep voice.  
  
Those two simple words were next to nothing, but it was enough for Baekhyun. Anyone else might have scoffed at the attempt at comfort, but Baekhyun was in no position to do so. He would take anything if it reminded him that there was still hope. He still had a chance of going back to the lovely hut his father had built ages ago, going back to the village where he’d mate with Yifan and have beautiful pups together.  
  
It sounded too good to be true, but it was still a possibility.  
  
He clasped his hands together, almost trying to hold onto that dream.  
  
Baekhyun barely paid attention to the palace surrounding them. They had, by now, been welcomed into the King’s home. The servants talked to them as though they were not leading them into the den of a hungry lion. Even if they sounded content, their smiles never reached their eyes.  
  
The strain they took upon their shoulders as servants to the King seemed apparent in the closed off way they walked. They walked tensely, as though they were constantly being watched. They talked smoothly and confidently, but their sentences turned into whispers as though they were being listened to.  
  
No one truly felt safe in that palace.  
  
Their feet stepped over the foreign carpet – a softness that none of them had ever been graced to feel. Their eyes were met with vases of gold and walls made of luxurious marble. Plates with fruit were placed onto the occasional table here and there. Chandeliers with dimly lit candles gave them a hazy view of everything.  
  
It all felt unreal.  
  
Baekhyun gasped lightly as they were brought to the baths of the palace.  
  
The room was unbelievably large. There was a body of water in the middle of the room, flower petals floating across the surface. There were seats along the walls, mirrors at each end with combs and strange substances in wooden bowls Baekhyun had never seen before.  
  
He didn’t have much time to think about it before he was coerced into the room along with the others.  
  
“The King has ordered us to clean all of you up before he meets you all.”  
  
“Meet us?” An omega from across the room speaks up. Her eyebrows are furrowed together while her glistening lips are set into a deep frown.  
  
“Yes. He will be meeting all of you before the night has expired.” One of the servants explains, but it doesn’t help much.  
  
No one responds after that, only following what the servants tell them to do.  
  
Baekhyun whimpers when one of the servants grabs a hold of the dirty robes on his body, pulling them down his body. He’s about to protest before he sees that the other omegas have been done to the same. His cheeks flush in the embarrassment of being so exposed, but the servant leads him down into the water, commanding him to sit down.  
  
The water soothes the ache in his muscles, steam beginning to fill up the room. Baekhyun sits idly as the servant kneels behind him, lathering her hands in soap. The smell of lavender fills his nostrils and it’s such a wonderful scent.  
  
He can’t help but close his eyes as hands begin to wash his body. The hands massage his skin, kneading it to ensure all the mud has been cleansed. They travel back and forth on his arms, curling around his neck and down his chest, and finally ending at his head.  
  
His eyes are shut closed as his hair is soaked wet. Baekhyun doesn’t notice how the servant promptly asks for a certain bowl to be passed over. He isn’t sure what it is, but his hair is lathered up in what feels like bubbles. For that single moment, he’s almost lulled to sleep.  
  
Water is rushed down his head, and he’s told to stand up.  
  
Baekhyun does so, taking the servant’s hand and stepping out of the water. He’s handed a long piece of cloth, and he holds it to his chest to cover himself before the servant leads him to the corner of the room where he’s seated in front of a mirror. Looking around briefly, he sees other omegas still being washed in the water while others were seated along the wall.  
  
The servant now stands before him but strips him of his towel to drag it along his body. They rub it across the length of his arms and down his legs. Baekhyun tries to suppress his blush, but no one besides Yifan has ever touched him in places like that. Regardless, he knows that this is only for his appearance.  
  
After drying him up, the servant scoops a white substance into her hands from one of the wooden bowls perched beside her. She lathers it on her hands before applying it to his skin.  
  
“W-What is this?” He asks softly, hoping that he isn’t bothering her.  
  
“Lotion. It keeps the skin soft and smooth.” She only looks to where her hands travel. “Moisturizes it to prevent cracks and dryness.”  
  
“Oh,” Baekhyun replies dumbly. He’s never had lotion before.  
  
He sits there for the remainder of the time. He feels bad for not helping her, but even if he attempted to, Baekhyun felt like she would only scold him.  
  
Once her hands finally finish applying the lotion to his legs and feet, she leaves briefly, ordering him to stay put.  
  
She comes back with a robe in her hands.  
  
Baekhyun notices that it’s not the same robe he had worn there. His was torn at the bottom from overuse. With the limited time he had, he barely washed it. With having so many responsibilities in the pack, he’d only ever worried about those priorities rather than his dirty robes.  
  
“Stand, please.” She says, never completely looking at him as he does so.  
  
She leads his arms into the robe, tying it in the front properly.  
  
For some strange reason, the robe feels immensely heavy on Baekhyun’s shoulders. He knows that these robes most likely came from the King himself. After all, his precious future mate must look presentable.  
  
He looks at himself in the mirror as the girl sits him back down.  
  
The robe accentuates the curve of his waist. The collar drops low in the front, exposing his collarbones. The material was made of some sort of silk – something he’s never had the luxury of wearing before. It’s beautiful, though. It was a pale shade of rose and there were intricate designs at the bottom of what appeared to be koi fish.  
  
It felt foreign wearing the robe. He indeed felt beautiful, but it wasn’t the kind of beauty he wanted to feel.  
  
He forced his eyes to look at his reflection. The servant behind him was currently lathering her hands in yet another substance, only to dig her fingers into the roots of his hair. She continued to lather things onto the ends of his hair, finally finishing it all off with putting the lotion, he supposed, on his face.  
  
“You know,” she whispered to him as she massaged his nape, “you have a very appealing face underneath all the dirt on your skin.”  
  
Baekhyun didn’t say anything. He wasn’t sure if she meant harm by her words, but it did the job. He hopes she hadn’t been insulting the lifestyle of his pack, but the words had unsettled him regardless of her intent. Neither did Baekhyun want to look appealing. If he was to return to his family, he couldn’t look appealing, not in the slightest.  
  
“It might do you good to be chosen as the King’s mate. You could look this beautiful all the time. Wouldn’t you like that?”  
  
He doesn’t respond.  
  
Her words mean nothing. Baekhyun tries to tell himself that. He knows that her job is to make him desire living like that – to want to be chosen. But he doesn’t want to be chosen. He can’t. The King is a man of no mercy, and Baekhyun could never love someone like that.  
  
Thankfully, she doesn’t say anything else.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
The night was still as ever. It was soundless and the only light Baekhyun could see were the stars from the window.  
  
He lay on his side, hands curled to his chest. The other omegas slept beside him. The room they were given was incredibly grand – pillows and beds made of the finest materials sprawled out across the floor so that the omegas could use them as they saw fit. Candles were placed around the room, but they had been blown out by the servants some time ago.  
  
Most of the omegas were asleep now. Not all of them were, though. Baekhyun could pick up on constant rustling and faint whispers from across the room.  
  
“Do you think you could live here? Be the mate of the King?” A girl asked into thin air, resting her arm onto her forehead as she contemplated her future.  
  
Her companion hummed gently, considering an honest answer. “I don’t know. It would be a blessing to live here – never have to starve or go a single day with dirt on your feet. But I don’t know the King. I’ve heard the rumors, just like everyone else. I’m scared.”  
  
The girl doesn’t reply to that, only staring at the sky out of their open balcony.  
  
Baekhyun does the same. He knows that somewhere in that same palace, Yifan is looking up at the brilliant stars aligning over their heads. They often stargazed together back in their small village. It comforted Baekhyun to know that he wasn’t as alone as he thought.  
  
He eventually drifts to sleep, and he reminds himself that the King had not shown up as the servants had said. Baekhyun feels a lot of things that night, but most of all, he felt relief.  
  
That meant that he could go one more day without having to face the King. Even so, that one remaining day loomed over him with growing terror. Each hour that passed felt as though he was one hour closer to his death.  
  
Just before his dreams finally reach him, Baekhyun clasps his hands together at his chest. He shuts his eyes and decides that tonight he’ll make a prayer to the gods that his father had always held in high regard. He doesn’t know if they exist, if they’re nothing but another religious following as many others, but it’s something.  
  
He prays that he survives. He prays that Yifan can stay safe through all of this – that even if Baekhyun is chosen – Yifan can return to their small village uninjured. Baekhyun cries as he prays that his father will always love him and that his father will be spared from witnessing something he mustn’t see.  
  
In the back of his mind, Baekhyun knows that he mustn’t jinx his fate. Speaking as though he were already chosen is enough to turn his luck against him, but he can’t risk his one and only family from being hurt. He’ll take the pain and the agony if it means his father can be safe.  
  
He has to be strong not just for himself but for his whole pack.  
  
As his eyelids finally grow heavy, Baekhyun buries his face into his pillow. His sniffles and whimpers are effectively muffled and not a single thing could be heard. Only the faint sound of buzzing insects outside their room could lull Baekhyun into his distressed slumber.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
“King Chanyeol, I-I wouldn’t advise to disturb them.” One of the servants meekly said as the King paused at the entrance of the golden door where the omegas resided. “They’re all v-very tired.”  
  
The servant let out an audible gasp and took a step back when the King turned his head to face them. Their eyes stuck to the floor, too terrified to meet the man’s eyes. They felt powerless beside the King who did nothing but exude his powerful scent to everyone in the palace, reminding them all who they should bow down to.  
  
“Are you ordering me around?” The King asked slowly. His cold eyes never left the meek servant in front of him. His words are heavy with threats.  
  
“N-No, Your Majesty! I-I would never!” The servant finally looks up, a desperate shine to their eyes.  
  
Chanyeol glared sharply. “Then you will do well to hold your tongue.”  
  
“Yes, Your Majesty! I-I humbly apologize for my unnecessary words.”  
  
The next few silent seconds are spent in tension. Chanyeol can see the servant’s hands tremble and he feels satisfaction at knowing that he is a force not be reckoned with.  
  
It was a few hours past the dead of night, the sun just barely grazing the horizon with her warming arms. The darkness was slowly disappearing as a hint of blue becomes visible, creating a gradient across the sky.  
  
He had meant to meet the omegas the day prior once they had settled down in the palace and were taken care of generously. It was vital that he knew who the candidates were for his future mate. As the ruler of such a dynasty, Chanyeol required a fit mate. Someone who’s beauty left him awestruck, someone who could handle politics in all its filthiness, but most of all, someone who could bear his children.  
  
After gaining power through years of conquest to gain more land, Chanyeol realized he would need an heir. He needed a child of strength and promise, a child who was determined to become even stronger than Chanyeol himself. Only a perfect mate could bring him that child.  
  
He had been born into the royal Park family as a sole child. From the moment he could walk, he was immediately trained to become the next ruler. Chanyeol was the perfect son – an alpha who listened well to the words of his parents. He was taught to never back down from a fight, to fight until his knuckles bled and broke. He was taught to always finish his opponent, to never show mercy.  
  
His rage had only finally been unleashed when his parents were assassinated when he became of age to take on the throne. No one ever found out who had done the deed, and that only angered the young Chanyeol even more. His parents were gone, and he had to lead an entire nation by himself. To release the frustration and fury, Chanyeol conquered over the peaceful lands out west and east. He terrorized the people with his army, forcing them to submit under his rule.  
  
From then on, he ruled as a King who was feared by all. He was not afraid to punish those who rejected his rule. Examples had to be made to show others what would happen if they dared to defy him.  
  
“Do not disturb me. Understood?”  
  
“Y-Yes, Your Majesty!” The servant repeats, bowing deeply to show their utmost respect for the man before them.  
  
Chanyeol’s lip twitches into a smirk before opening the door in front of him slowly, making sure to keep quiet for the slumbering omegas.  
  
Since he did not have time prior to meet the omegas, he decided that this was the perfect time to make observations. Chanyeol had to see which omegas appealed to him the most, or rather, which ones seemed to fit his criteria the most. Physical appearances are important when it comes to finding a mate. Of course, that is only one among many factors.  
  
The grand room is filled with omegas deep asleep and unaware of the man in their presence. Many of them were draped across the mattresses on the floor, legs and heads propped comfortably with pillows of different colors. Some of them lay upon the fainting couches that were placed around the room.  
  
The room itself was decorated extravagantly. Plants of all sizes were placed around the room, either hanging from the ceiling or placed in golden vases. Silk was draped along the ceilings not for functionality but rather for appearance. Carpets of exotic material covered the floors.  
  
Chanyeol examined the faces of each omega he walked by. He made sure to keep his footsteps light as to prevent them all from waking.  
  
He noted their facial features as well as their body proportions. Chanyeol was looking for someone made of perfection. He examined their hair – the length, the color, the shine. Of course, he also examined their skin – how soft it looked, how many blemishes he could identify. Though he did make sure to never touch the omegas.  
  
That was, until he saw a peculiar omega.  
  
He was only looking, but something made him want to touch.  
  
The omega was sleeping just as the others did, but his face was half-covered by the pillow he was slumbering on. Dark auburn hair shimmered as the sun’s rays began to peak over the balcony. The sun’s reflection also revealed dry trails of tears running down the boy’s cheeks.  
  
Chanyeol crouched down, sitting on the hunches of his heels as he observed the omega. His eyebrows knitted together in concentration. He couldn’t help but bring a hand to the omega’s cheek, caressing the cheek softly. Distress was written on the boy’s face.  
  
It was incredibly soft. The boy’s skin was dewy and even seemed to glow in the rays of sunlight. He could only imagine how it would look during the day when the sun was fully out, uncovered by clouds.  
  
With a quick turn of his head, Chanyeol looked up and down the boy’s body. His eyes raked over the figure slowly, taking in the details of what it looked like underneath the silk robe.  
  
The omega’s chest rose and fell with every intake and exhale of breath. The boy’s waist dipped into an appealing curve and Chanyeol moved his hand down to wrap around that perfect waist. No longer restraining himself, Chanyeol gripped it just slightly to see how well it fit into his grasp. From there, his eyes followed to the boy’s wide hips.  
  
A slit on the robe exposed the omega’s leg, and Chanyeol drowned in the sight of sun-kissed skin. He dragged his hand down the body before him, caressing over the uncovered thigh and pressing his fingertips into the calf.  
  
He stopped when the omega whimpered. Chanyeol’s eyes trailed to the boy’s face, watching as he burrowed a little deeper into the pillow, but never waking up.  
  
“Yifan…” He mumbles with a saddened whine.  
  
That name caused the king to tense. He did not know of whoever the omega was calling out for, but Chanyeol knew that the name belonged to another alpha – a woman or a man, it didn’t matter for it meant this omega was in love. The thought of this pure, untainted omega already having a lover sent a wave of anger through his body.  
  
Before he allowed his anger to take course, Chanyeol abruptly stood up, eyes never leaving the slumbering omega. His eyes hardened into a cold glare and he swiftly walked away towards the entrance, pace fast and strides long.  
  
He didn’t bother with the servant still standing at the door who cowered as he passed by.  
  
Chanyeol had other things to concern himself with. Yet, as he read over negotiation treaties or judged the lives of filthy beggars, he had always been brought back to that ethereal omega. True beauty was what appealed to Chanyeol, and that omega seemed to be full of it.  
  
With only having seen the omega once, Chanyeol already knew who he wanted – who he craved – to become his ideal mate.  
  
There was no way that omega wouldn’t be his.  
  
He’d burn down villages if it meant that he could permanently mark that omega with his scent, his seed, his everything.  
  
As he sat upon his throne before those with lives below his, Chanyeol’s lip curled into a smirk.

**Author's Note:**

> hope you guys liked it! this took me so damn long to write idk why i made this chapter so damn long, but regardless, i will finish it! i put all this effort into it so i might as well complete it for my sake and ur sake lmao
> 
> please comment what you thought about it! ur comments really keep me going :)


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